Case Summary

The state of California, and other cities and groups, filed suit against President Trump in response to his "Memorandum on Excluding Illegal Aliens From the Apportionment Base Following the 2020 Census." Plaintiffs have argued that the President's Memorandum violates both constitutional and federal statutory requirements that all persons be included in the official state population counts, regardless of their immigration or citizenship status. Plaintiffs have also alleged that the President's Memorandum is motivated by an intent to discriminate against Hispanic and immigrant communities, thereby implicating equal protection and due process concerns. The plaintiffs have requested that the court declare the President's Memorandum unlawful and order the Census Bureau to include undocumented residents in the official state population counts. This case was consolidated with San Jose v. Trump on August 14, 2020.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division, ruled that the Presidential Memorandum violates both the U.S. Constitution and various federal statutes on October 22, 2020, and issued an injunction barring its implementation. The case was appealed to both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court on October 23, 2020.

On January 4, 2021, the Supreme Court ordered that the case be remanded back to the district court with instructions to be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction in light of the Court's ruling in Trump v. New York. On January 11, 2021, the Defendants-Appellants filed an unopposed motion for voluntary dismissal, which the Ninth Circuit granted on January 21, 2021, dismissing the appeal and ending the lawsuit.

Case Library

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, San Jose Division - 5:20-cv-05169

• Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief - 7/28/20
• Sua Sponte Judicial Referral for Purposes of Determining Relationship of Cases - 8/18/20
• Request to the Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to Convene a Three-Judge Court - 8/18/20
• Order - 8/20/20
• Order Regarding Joint Stipulation Regarding Topics for Early Dispositive Briefings and Responsive Pleading Deadlines - 8/21/20
• Order Adopting Previous Orders and Delegating Pro Hac Vice Motions - 8/21/20
• First Amended Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief - 8/24/20
• Plaintiffs' Notice of Motion and Motion for Partial Summary Judgment; Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support - 8/27/20
• Brief of the U.S. House of Representatives as Amicus Curiae in Support of Plaintiffs - 8/31/20
• Brief of Amici Curiae Members of Congress in Support of Plaintiffs - 9/1/20
• Brief of Amici Curiae Historians in Support of Plaintiffs' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment - 9/1/20
• League of Women Voters' Amicus Brief in Support of Plaintiffs' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment - 9/1/20
• Defendants' Notice of Motion and Motion to Dismiss, or in the Alternative, Motion for Partial Summary Judgment; Memorandum of Points and Authorities in Support of Defendants' Motion; and, Opposition to Plaintiffs' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment - 9/10/20
• Plaintiffs' Reply in Support of Motion for Partial Summary Judgment and in Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Dismiss, for Partial Summary Judgment - 9/21/20
• Reply in Support of Defendants' Motion to Dismiss - 9/28/20
• Order Granting Plaintiffs' Motion for Partial Summary Judgment and Denying Defendants' Motion to Dismiss - 10/22/20
• Final Judgment and Permanent Injunction - 10/22/20
• Notice of Appeal - 10/23/20
• Notice of Appeal - 10/23/20
• SCOTUS Letter - 1/4/21
• Order of Dismissal - 1/7/21

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit - No. 20-17105 [consolidated with City of San Jose, et al., v. Trump, No. 20-17104]

• Docket Number Assignment - 10/23/20
• Appellants' Mediation Questionnaire Form - 10/29/20
• Order Granting Appellants' Unopposed Motion to Stay Appellate Proceedings - 11/9/20
• Defendants-Appellants' Unopposed Motion to Dismiss the Appeal - 1/11/21
• Order Granting Dismissal of Appeal - 1/21/21

U.S. Supreme Court - No. 20-561 [together with City of San Jose, et al., v. Trump]

• Jurisdictional Statement - 10/29/20
• Letter from Donald J. Trump - 11/9/20
• Motion for Expedited Consideration of the Jurisdictional Statement and Waiver of the 14-Day Waiting Period for Distribution - 11/24/20
• Motion to Affirm for Appellees, City of San Jose, et al. - 11/25/20
• Motion to Affirm or Dismiss of the State of California, the County of Los Angeles, the Cities of Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Oakland, and the Los Angeles Unified School District - 11/30/20
• Reply Brief for the Appellants - 12/7/20
• SCOTUS Order - 1/4/21